Category Archives: holidays

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Materialistically speaking……what I’m currently loving: 1. I’m a girly girl, so how could I not fall in love with these tulle skirts from Space 46. You could wear, as shown with an oxford, crisp white shirt, cashmere cardigan, as part … Continue reading →

Most of us have our Thanksgiving day menus pre-planned with the traditional annual line up of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie etc., but when preparing appetizers there is a little more freedom for creativity. Here are a couple of ideas for some festive … Continue reading →

This is our first fall in our new home and with more space I’m finding a lack of holiday decorations to fill it…working to correct this problem, I found burlap on sale and came up with this quick, inexpensive way to transform … Continue reading →

At the grocery store, I discovered Butter Pecan cake mix and decided my pregnant self thought that sounded good and very fall-worthy. I grabbed some cream cheese icing and headed home to make cupcakes.

As I was mixing the batter, I noticed a recipe tip on the back that suggested using apricot preserves under the layer of icing. I am not a big apricot preserves fan but I loved the idea of infusing something else fall-worthy and more fruit-like into this recipe. So, I grabbed the homemade can of apple butter my aunt recently made with the apples that grow on her horse farm in Blairsville, Ga. and used it. I just got back from visiting her last month – and her little gift of apple butter was perfect for this recipe! The apple flavor is a great compliment to the butter pecan cake.

After icing (yes I’m terrible at it, you’ll see below), I sprinkled the top with a little pumpkin pie spice for decoration and for added autumn flair and flavor!

Here’s how it works and how it turned out:

I had to apply the icing this way bc spread it on would’ve smeared the apple butter and that wouldn’t look too pretty.

I sprinkled them with a little pumpkin pie spice for fall flavor and flair!

My co-workers LOVED them. Devan, one of the marketing girls even said, “Your cupcake just changed my life.” Or something to that effect. Nice!

Have you been seeing super cute envelope liners on Pinterest with these gorgeous invitations and you are probably thinking that costs a fortune?! Well I can’t really speak for the invitations because those could have really cost a fortune! But I’m going to show you how to make custom envelope liners for not a lot of money.

Custom envelope liners I made.

There are a few other envelope DIY envelope liner tutorials out there but I have two major tips that I’ve learned through trial and error. I’ve learned to use spray glue (little more work up front but much better coverage) and use your favorite wrapping paper! Lindsay always thinks I’m crazy every Christmas for using expense Container Store wrapping paper instead of the dollar store but I just love how nice and thick it feels plus it’s gorgeous… yes, I’m a paper nerd! But if you’ve ever been interested in have envelope liners for your personal stationary or Christmas cards you can do it and save a lot of money instead of buying the pre-made ones like on Etsy.

* The roll I bought above was $5 wrapping paper from Michael’s. Any medium to good quality wrapping paper should work. Just don’t get the super cheap kind that could rip easily when you are cutting.

Step 1: Cut your envelope liner out carefully with an x-acto knife. You can also trace it with a pencil and cut it out with scissors. Be sure you are cutting on the side you will be gluing, this will help hide any small mistakes. If you use an x-acto knife please be careful!

Step 2: Gather all your materials for spray gluing. I do this in my garage and as you can see it’s not glamorous! I use 3M spray glue, a face mask and paper to spray glue on.

Step 3: Spray glue just the top half of the envelope liners and about an inch below the fold. Don’t spray glue the whole thing, you’ll never get it in the envelope. Let the glue sit for about a minute before placing it in the envelopes.

Step 4: Place spray glued envelope liner inside envelope. This will be tricky at first so get a few testers going first. I try to place my hand down in with it then let it stick to the envelope.

Note: I’ve used the roll tape double side glue before and it is easier upfront but when you open up your envelope it tends to fall apart and not stick as well.

I think the extra effort is well worth the end result. Everyone will be so impressed and excited with the mail you’ve sent them!

Like this:

I grew up in a large-ish family. We ate leftovers almost ALWAYS-the next day. My particular husband however, does NOT eat leftovers. As it is hard to cook for just the two of us, I typically end up eating said leftovers for lunch or dinner-which gets old fast! During the summer, Texas heat dissuades me from wanting to cook because of the ovens radiating heat, and I decided to try a PINTEREST pin, that was described as being easy/fast!

-microwave 6 bacon slices (cover with paper towels to prevent splatter and for soaking up grease) for about 5-8 minutes….at least until cooked/yet flexible… it should not be crispy…just barely cooked

-1/2 cup chopped chives

-3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

-5 eggs that have been beaten in bowl

-salt, pepper, garlic salt

-(1) 6 muffin tin sprayed with pam

-3 bread slices

Directions:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 degress

1. Take a small glass and press the rim into a bread slice. You should be able to get 2 circles out of each slice. Then peel away the excess around the “circles” and toss excess. Put one bread circle in the bottom of each muffin tin.

2. Take your microwaved bacon and shape 1 slice into each of the 6 muffin spots

3. Throw your chives into the whipped egg bowl, along with a pinch of salt, pepper, and 1/2 garlic salt. Mix together. NOTE: you could always add spinach, or feta instead of cheddar, zucchini, switch eggs for whites, etc.

4. Pour egg mixture evenly into each muffin hole.

5. Top each with cheddar cheese.

6. Place pan beneath your muffin tin (this is to save you cleanup, in case you put too much into each of the muffin cups)

SET IN OVEN for about 15-20 minutes. It really depends on how accurate/how hot your oven gets.

Happy Fourth of July!!! This fourth, here’s a drink made with white wine and red and blue berries. Its colors make it a perfect addition to any Fourth of July celebration, but unlike some sangrias, it’s not overly sweet. Which is … Continue reading →

This Memorial Day, we decided to throw a fairly last minute cook-out (I’m now suspicious that my husband put the idea of this in my head as an elaborate scheme to get a new grill) but anyway, I needed some decorations quick and made … Continue reading →

I’ll admit it. I shop at dollar stores. Dollar Tree mainly. And while my trips aren’t frequent, there are a handful of things I won’t buy anywhere else. I thought I’d share these with you in hopes of saving you … Continue reading →